Dan Debow first tech CEO to match Canadian ACLU donations

Today, Helpful.com CEO Dan Debow has become the first Canadian tech CEO to match Canadian donations to non-profit, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In a tweet, the former Salesforce SVP said that he would match donations up to $5,000 from Canadians if they post proof in his @replies.

The ACLU is facing numerous legal challenges and high demand for its services following US president Donald Trump’s executive order to ban refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries on Friday (the ACLU then sued the administration). Over the course of this weekend, it’s received record-breaking support through $24 million in donations. Usually, the ACLU raises $4 million a year.

Speaking with BetaKit, Debow said he hoped his actions would spur Canadian CEOs to do the same. Keyhole.co co-founder Saif Ajani has jumped on board, pledging to match the next $5,000 of Canadian donations to the ACLU submitted to Dan Debow’s @replies.

These actions mirror a growing movement of tech CEOs south of the border committing to matching ACLU donations. These include early Twitter investor Chris Sacca, Sequoia Capital partner Mike Vernal, and Facebook head of advertising Andrew Bosworth.